Shaped the Republic

ÖVP and SPÖ governed for 44 years and 347 days

Andreas Babler (SPÖ) and Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) could soon become part of a three-party government.(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

When the ÖVP and SPÖ begin their negotiations on forming a government, both parties say there will be no "business as usual". Because they know each other well. In the history of the Second Republic, no coalition has been in power more often.

The red-black and black-red coalitions have shaped Austria's history. Since 1945, these parties have jointly led the government for 45 of the 79 years - first in 1945 with Karl Renner (SPÖ) as chancellor, most recently in 2017 with Christian Kern (SPÖ). The last ÖVP chancellor in a black-red coalition was Josef Klaus in 1966.

The cooperation with a third party that is now being sought would also not be new - in 1945, however, it was primarily due to the special situation after the Second World War, when the KPÖ was also represented in the provisional state government alongside the SPÖ and ÖVP.

The Communists remained part of the first government under Leopold Figl (ÖVP), which took over at the end of 1945 after the first National Council elections of the Second Republic. Only after the KPÖ left in 1947 was the first pure black-red coalition perfect.

After sole governments came the time of the "grand coalition" 
Such a coalition formed governments with four different ÖVP chancellors (Figl, Julius Raab, Alfons Gorbach, Josef Klaus) until 1966, i.e. for a total of 21 years. This was followed by a period of sole governments, first by the ÖVP (until 1970) and then by the SPÖ (until 1983).

The SPÖ-FPÖ government period was then followed by the second long period of the then "grand coalition" of SPÖ and ÖVP from 1987 under Franz Vranitzky (SPÖ) and then Viktor Klima (SPÖ). This lasted 13 years until the first black-blue government under Wolfgang Schüssel (ÖVP, 2000) took office.

This time it only took seven years for the SPÖ-ÖVP coalition to return. In 2007, such a coalition took over the reins of government again under Alfred Gusenbauer (SPÖ) and remained in office for almost eleven years until the end of 2017, even after the change to chancellors Werner Faymann (SPÖ) and Christian Kern (SPÖ).

NEOS instead of KPÖ?
In the meantime, a new ÖVP-SPÖ coalition would at least no longer deserve the long-standing label "grand coalition". The two parties are now only the second and third largest parliamentary groups in the National Council behind the FPÖ. With the NEOS as an aspired further coalition partner, a third party would once again enter a government 74 years after the KPÖ left.